Well before the start of December, with Thanksgiving leftovers yet to consume, New Canaan homeowner Elizabeth (Liz) Ariola already had all of her holiday decorations in place. Four ornamented Christmas trees stood tall in various rooms, with another winking white lights outside. A garland wrapped the staircase banister, neatly twined packages sat stacked in the living room, a giant wreath hung over a glowing fireplace, and her dining table was set for six, with each place setting a work of art in itself.
But even though Ariola—a digital creator and cofounder of Motherhood Media, the company behind the social media megastar Brunch With Babs—has a keen design sensibility, she had her friend and interior designer Nikki Glazer realize much of the decorations that filled the rooms of her modern farmhouse-style residence in the town’s historic Silvermine neighborhood.
“My husband and four children and I were so impressed with Nikki’s décor, that we kept it all in place and celebrated the holiday season with everything virtually unchanged,” she notes. Ariola, along with four other New Canaan residents had “loaned” out their homes in 2021 for what was the 28th biennial Holiday House Tour, an event hosted since 1957 by the Newcomers Club of New Canaan. The organization pairs several homes with local designers who transform the rooms at holiday time. Members of the public can purchase tickets and take tours, while also meeting their fellow neighbors. Proceeds benefit some dozen local charities, with this year’s event hosted on December 1 and 2 with media sponsor CTC&G.
“We loved that the homeowner was able to mix textiles and materials seamlessly to achieve a warm, comfortable and approachable aesthetic in a newer home,” notes Townsend Katz, event chair. “Her casual and elegant style beams through the entire project.” Continues Natalie Jones, one of that year’s house tour committee members:“We served hot cocoa as people came through, we had a firepit going in the backyard and carolers singing. The whole home exuded warmth.”
A view from the living room into the kitchen reveals one of four decorated trees. A festive seasonal bouquet from Hayfields Market is set on the kitchen island. The island chairs are from Bungalow.
Juliska plates and glasses are set among a garland designed by Stems + Co. The plate chargers are from the Linen Shop, with napkins and ribbon supplied by Heather Taylor Home and Terrain.
The biggest tree—which features an apron of moss—makes a statement in the living room. Many of the ornaments sourced from Terrain and the Adirondack Store replicate mushrooms and birds, what designer Glazer calls “a very organic, seasonal approach to the decorations.”
When designer Nikki Glazer received a giant wreath donated by Designs by Lee in Stamford, she wove other greenery and elements into it, finishing it off with a velvet ribbon.
Outdoor areas of the house were accented with elements that include this little red wagon.
As a stylist, designer and owner/developer of Gray Barns—a chic country inn in town—Glazer is one of the area’s oracles of taste and hospitality. Ariola had commissioned Glazer for earlier home design projects, so the two knew each other’s aesthetics well. “There’s nothing precious or overdone about Liz’s interiors,” says Glazer. “She’s very family oriented and open to decorating ideas.”
Although Ariola was, at first, a bit reticent to opening her house to the some 1,000 people who would walk through to take in the decorations, she was convinced by Glazer. “The tour is a great way to give back to the community,” says Ariola, “and it’s such a unique way to raise money. It’s creative, it’s fun, and it’s super social, encouraging neighbors to get to know each other. And honestly, part of the reason I said yes to participating is that I felt super comfortable with Nikki.”
In record holiday shopping time, Glazer sourced everything from gingham napkins and fragrant fir trees to mushroom-shaped ornaments and birch garlands. “Christmas is not just about green and red,” says Glazer, who was determined to create rooms filled with earth tones and natural elements. Seasonal greens, bowls of chestnuts, spreads of moss beneath the trees, taupe-colored tapers, and craft-paper wrapped gift boxes were employed to create a cozy, soft focus to the rooms.
“I like to work with symmetry, with small things placed beside bigger things, and I have a special love for putting things in three, to create a kind of wabi-sabi effect,” says Glazer. When presented with a giant wreath donated by Stamford’s Designs by Lee, Glazer “feathered” items into it, notably whatever seasonal greens had been left over from other decorations. She tied a velvet ribbon to the bottom for added emphasis, as if rooting the holiday symbol into the home. “Wreath making is a whole creative, fun art form that doesn’t get enough play around the season,” she emphasizes.
As the installers transformed her rooms, Ariola and her children watched with the kind of anticipation that many feel on Christmas morning prior to opening gifts. “So many decorations were going up,” she says, “that it felt like an art install—as if a whole gallery of art was going up.”